1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a discharge tube connector for conductively connecting a discharge tube such as a flash discharge tube with a circuit board and holding the connected discharge tube and the circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most of illumination devices include a discharge tube as a light source. For example, a flash device used for camera photography includes a circuit board, a straight-tube-shaped flash discharge tube, and a reflecting plate. Light emitted from the flash discharge tube is focused by the reflecting plate to irradiate a subject with the light. A conventional example of the flash device will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 25. In the flash device, end electrodes 2a extending as pin terminals from a light-emitting portion 2b of a flash discharge tube 1 are fitted into a reflecting plate 3 provided so as to surround the flash discharge tube 1 to hold the end electrodes 2a. Lead wires 4 extending from the end electrodes 2a are electrically connected with board electrodes 5a on a circuit board 5 by soldering. At the time of light emission, high voltage is generated by a circuit (not shown) formed to the circuit board 5 to apply voltage of 280 V to 330 V between the end electrodes.
Because the high voltage is applied to the flash discharge tube 1, the lead wires 4 have a large wire diameter and high rigidity. Therefore, when the lead wires 4 are in contact with the circuit board 5 or the like in a case where the flash discharge tube 1 is to be installed to the flash device, the lead wires 4 do not deform. Thus, there is a problem that the impact of contact directly transfers to the flash discharge tube 1 to cause a damage such as a crack to the light-emitting portion 2b of the flash discharge tube 1. In order to solve such a problem, according to the invention described in, for example, JP 05-165085 A, the lead wires are eliminated and elastic metal plates are brought into contact with electrodes to electrically connect the electrodes with a circuit board. According to the invention described in JP 08-297312 A, the lead wires are eliminated and electrodes are held by plate terminals, each of which has a hook-shaped cut portion, to electrically connect the electrodes with a circuit board.
In the inventions described above, the lead wires are not used to suppress the occurrence of a damage such as a crack to the light-emitting portion 2b of the flash discharge tube 1. However, in the invention described in JP 05-165085 A, it is necessary to solder the elastic metal plates connected with the electrodes to the circuit board. Further, in the invention described in JP 08-297312 A, it is necessary to solder the electrodes to the plate terminals. Such soldering operations take time and effort. Therefore, although the damage of the flash discharge tube 1 can be reduced, an installation operation is difficult.